City Railings
by Atomic Kokoro
Summary: When Mikado is inspired by the A.T team, Kogarasumaru, he starts his own Air Trek group. With special training from the members of Kogarasumaru, they try to make their way to the top of the Trophaeum Tower.
1. Chapter 1: Beginnings x Rumors

**City Railings**

**By: AtomicKokoro**

**Storyline**

When Mikado is inspired by the A.T team Kogarasumaru, he starts his own A.T team. The special training from the members of Kogarasumaru, they try to make their way to the top of Trophaeum Tower.

…

**Before You Read**

Half-inspired by my Tumblr Role Play group, I have decided to make a Durarara!/Air Gear crossover. I thought it would be cool. I mean, why not?

On with the story!

…

**Chapter 1**

**Beginning x Rumors**

_Taro Tanaka has entered the chat._

_Setton has entered the chat._

_Taro Tanaka: Hey, Setton!_

_Setton: Hello._

_Taro Tanaka: How is your day?_

_Setton: Ugh. Could be better._

_Taro Tanaka: Well, I hope it gets better._

_Setton: Yeah, me, too._

_Kanra has entered the chat._

_Taro Tanaka: Hey, Kanra._

_Setton: Hey._

_Kanra: Yo!_

_Kanra: Oh, have you heard?_

_Taro Tanaka: Heard what?_

_Kanra: About the girl who almost jumped from a building._

_Taro Tanaka: Huh? What? Why?_

_Setton: Oh, I heard. I heard she was told if she didn't jump, someone would kill her parents._

_Kanra: That's about right._

_Taro Tanaka: That's terrible!_

_Kanra: Isn't it?_

_Setton: Didn't she jump?_

_Kanra: Yeah, she did._

_Kanra: But the Black Rider came at the last second and saved her._

_Setton: !?_

_Taro Tanaka: Well, that's good._

_Kanra: Yeah._

_Setton: Are you sure it was the Black Rider?_

_Kanra: Almost. It did seem a little different, though..._

_Taro Tanaka: Maybe it was a bad day._

_Setton: That had to be it..._

_Kanra: Ha ha._

_Setton: Oh! Did you also hear about those Roller Blade gangs that have been showing up in Tokyo recently?_

_Setton: They've been causing quite a ruckus. As long as the police are busy, I don't care._

_Taro Tanaka: Roller Blade gangs?_

_Bakyura has entered the chat._

_Bakyura: Yo!_

_Taro Tanaka: Hey, Bakyura._

_Setton: Hello._

_Kanra: Hi!_

_Bakyura: What's this about gangs I'm reading?_

_Kanra: They are called A.T Teams._

_Taro Tanaka: A.T?_

_Kanra: It's an abbreviation for Air Treks._

_Setton: Air Treks?_

_Setton: Oh! You mean those motorized Roller Blades?_

_Kanra: Exactly._

_Bakyura: So they are turning roller blades into weapons now? Terrific..._

_Taro Tanaka: I think it's kind of cool._

_Kanra: Except they've been causing some property damage and been beating each other up._

_Bakyura: Stupid..._

_Kanra: All for some badge and A.T parts._

_Bakyura: Stupid..._

_Kanra: What a crazy world, right?_

_Bakyura: There stupid._

_Taro Tanaka: I think it would be interesting to see them in action. And it's *they're, Bakyura._

_Bakyura: Whatever._

_Setton: As long as nobody dies, then everything will be okay._

_Kanra: No, I don't think anyone has died yet._

_Taro Tanaka: That's good._

_Kanra: But that doesn't mean no one has been permanently scarred or injured._

_Bakyura: In gangs, nothing is ever okay._

_Setton: Stop being such a downer, Bakyura._

_Taro Tanaka: Yeah, man. What's on your mind?_

_Bakyura: Stupid people, that's what._

_Kanra: Turn that frown upside down, Bakyura~_

_Bakyura: Drop dead._

_Setton: Well, I have to go. I had some...uh...important business to attend to._

_Taro Tanaka: I have some studying. I'll talk to you guys later._

_Bakyura: Night._

_Kanra: Night._

_Setton: Good night._

_Taro Tanaka: See you in the morning._

_Setton is offline._

_Taro Tanaka is offline._

_Kanra: I guess it's just you and me, Bakyura._

_Bakyura is offline._

_Kanra: ...Maybe not._

_Kanra is offline._

_No one is online._

_No one is online._

_No one is online._


	2. Chapter 2: Normal x Extraordinary

**City Railings**

**By: AtomicKokoro**

**Storyline**

When Mikado is inspired by the A.T team Kogarasumaru, he starts his own A.T team. The special training from the members of Kogarasumaru, they try to make their way to the top of Trophaeum Tower.

…

**Before You Read**

Last chapter was...well, actually, nothing. It wasn't even a damn chapter! It was more a preface. But I'm too lazy to keep changing that chapter number every time I update, so it's a chapter now.

By the way, whether they actually say their trick names or not is something I forget, but I decided that they could because it looks/sounds cooler.

Also, I have no freaking idea what Super Stride IV: Sonic Boom does. Seriously. I looked it up, and there was no answer. Because I'm stupid and don't remember the Anime very well.

On with the story!

…

**Chapter 2**

**Normal x Extraordinary**

On some nights, Ikebukuro seemed peaceful. Quiet. _Ordinary_. Maybe that was what Celty liked so much about the city. It's contrast of light and dark through the days and the nights was in perfect contrast to it's ordinary and unusual.

Because the unusual was the ordinary, here, in Ikebukuro.

The abnormal was the normal. The craziness was it's peace. The storm was it's sunny days. And there was just so much to love about it. And the humans, too. Izaya especially loved the people. Because each and every one of them was so different.

So different, three best friends couldn't tell where one began and the other ended. Mikado, with a flip side personality, and Masaomi, with a bloody past, and Anri, with a lethal weapon.

And no one was more lethal than Shizuo Heiwajima, the strongest man in Ikebukuro. Only the African-Russian man could match him in a fight, Simon Brezhnev, who, of course, sold sushi to the former Blue Squares members, Kyohei, Erika, Walker, and Saburo.

In turn, Kyohei would give jobs to an underground doctor, Shinra Kishitani, who completes them and returns home (often to wait) for his love, Celty.

For everyone, it seemed like there was some sort of normal, where everything began and ended all in the same day. No worrying about the future or fearing abnormalities. It was almost perfect. So perfect, it couldn't be true.

Perfections and happy endings never lasted long, though.

…

"You know, we should go Karaoke." Masaomi's grammar wasn't right, but Mikado didn't bother to correct him. "That would be fun."

Mikado scratched his head and chuckled lightly. "I'm fine with it."

The two boys turned to the female of the group who just smiled sweetly.

"It's decided!" the blond gasped, stomping his foot. "We will go Karaoke! After school." He sat down on the bench and pulled out his bento box.

It was about twelve thirty and it was lunch time. The sun shone high in a velvet blue sky. It was a beautiful day. Mikado stared out through the chain link fence, to the sky. It had been a long time since something happened. Almost too long.

"Masaomi, don't eat so fast!" Anri gasped, reaching over Mikado's lap to put her hand on Masaomi's chopsticks to slow him down. "Eating faster isn't going to make the day go by any less slower."

Masaomi groaned and leaned back without dropping his bento box, then continued eating. Mikado chuckled.

…

"La la la la la la la~" Masaomi sang as the trio walked down the street. They were busy that night. The sky was clear but clouded with light pollution. There wasn't any stars to gaze upon, but there were man made lights that made up for it just as well. "Oh, man! This is gonna be _so awesome_. Chicks are gonna fall in love with my voice~."

"Don't get your hopes up too high, Masaomi," Mikado chuckled nervously.

Masaomi pouted. "Are you saying I'm not a good singer?"

"Well, actually..."

Before Mikado could answer, a horse neighed off in the distance. The trio stopped and turned to the streets. "The Black Rider?" Anri whispered. Not long after the bray, sirens began to wail and lights flickered somewhere down the street. "Oh, no..."

But it wasn't what they thought.

As the sirens came closer, the neighing went quieter. The police were after someone else.

Just as Mikado came to this realization, five black blurs shot across his vision. For a moment, he was able to see people. Teenagers. Just like him. They were on roller blades. Unbelievably fast. In fact, they were so fast, he didn't realize he had missed one of them until they slowed down to the others' pace.

"Amazing!" Mikado gasped, a reverse wind blowing through his bangs like a fan through string. "How are they going so fast?"

Little did the trio know, these fast figures were wearing Air Treks. Grinding along the railings on the side of the road and almost flying over the cars as they went. Each wore a dark blue jacket with the emblem, "Kogarasumaru" sewn onto the back.

The leader sighed and looked back at the cops. "They just don't give up, do they?" No one commented and just watched the raven think for a moment. "Kazu, Agito," he said. "Could you?"

"On it," the blond replied, nodding.

The blue-haired devil smirked. "With pleasure."

Both suddenly disappeared. The raven glanced back at the three remaining riders behind him; a short, plump boy riding his A.T with his head, a much larger tank, and a girl. "Let's blow these guys off," he suggested. "and find a place to rest for a while."

The three riders agreed and sped up after him.

Up in the air, the blond and the eye patched boy reappeared. "Whatever you do," the blond said with warning. "don't overdo it."

"What a killjoy," came the raspy-voiced reply. "You just take the fun out of everything."

There was no response from the blond as the wheels on his Air Treks began to light up a soft orange. "Trick: Super Stride IV: 'Sonic Boom'."

"Trick: Bloody Road: Saucer Crush."

Mikado blinked and, when he opened his eyes, the cop cars had come to a complete stop. Mikado wasn't sure what just happened, but there was a dent in the road. The figures were gone. The chase was over.

"Oh...my God..." Masaomi gaped. It was hard to tell if he was impressed or horrified, but Mikado sure knew what he was feeling.

He was shaking. Just like before. Just like when he first saw Celty. When he first was offered leadership to the Blue Squares.

_This_.

_This_ was excitement.

The abnormality he had been waiting. The twist, the change. The trigger event for the next exciting adventure.

Mikado smiled.

He wanted to ride Air Treks.

…

Masaomi had tried to go on with life like he was never even there, but as he rambled and spoke and talked about the girls he wanted to date and the games he wanted to play, Anri could tell Mikado wasn't listening or paying attention. His mind was elsewhere. In his dream world.

Anri knew that look.

When Masaomi went to the bathroom for the moment, she rested a hand on Mikado's. "Don't do it," she whispered. Mikado blinked innocently, then continued to his lunch.

He knew what Anri was talking about.

…

Somewhere else in Ikebukuro, a certain motorcyclist was _more_ than happy to welcome the new visitors to Ikebukuro.

[And with Kuzuhara too busy trying to catch the Air Trek riders,] she typed happily to her roommate and possible lover, Shinra. She was sitting on their couch in their very nice apartment while he stood by the table, his some form of ADHD refusing to let him sit down. [he isn't trying to catch me or chase me down or _anything_. I'm really glad they came along. They make my job so much easier.]

The doctor sipped his coffee. He didn't need to read the PDA to know what she was thinking, but he read it anyway, just in case. "But you know," he said carefully. "they are causing some serious property damage to the city. If things keep going this way, they'll bring _more_ police to the city. Because now they have Shizuo and Izaya and those A.T riders..."

Celty suddenly didn't seem so excited. [Th-They won't all be after me, will they?] she typed.

Shinra shook his head and sat down beside her on the couch. "No," he said, then hesitated. "Well... No. They'll be too busy with everything else that's going on. The gangs, and the A.T riders, and everything. You are the least of their problems right now."

The headless rider was relieved at the comment. She put her PDA on the table and leaned back for a second. She hadn't been resting for a moment before she picked her PDA back up and typed, [Wanna watch a movie?]

Shinra chuckled.

…

Izaya stared out his window from his chair. Namie, his secretary, was organizing papers and rearranging books into an orderly fashion up on the second floor. She paused for a moment and stared down at the back of his chair. "It isn't break time yet, Namie," he said suddenly, unnerving her.

Then, she simply growled and continued what she was doing.

Izaya stared out his window a little longer, and she turned back. "Well, aren't _you_ going to do anything?"

The informant was quiet for a moment, then he smiled a bit. "I do have a bit of work to attend to, yes, but that can wait. I think I have a new interest." Izaya turned around on his chair and pulled up a window on his computer. "Have you ever heard of A.T Teams?"

Namie was quiet then she put the books down and leaned against the railing. "What brings this up?" she asked.

"It appears we have a team wandering around Ikebukuro," he said. "called Kogarasumaru." His red gaze followed up to her and he gave a mischievous smirk. "They say they are the best of the best, you know. And if they are the best, then they must certainly have something to back that up."

"What are you getting at?" Namie breathed, hesitating, unnerved by the cold red gaze that caught her own.

Izaya sighed and leaned back against his chair. "What else?" He turned around on his chair again and stared out his window. "You yourself said I wasn't that hard to read, so why don't you figure out for yourself what's going on through my head?"

The secretary glared at the informant for a long time. Then, he picked up her books and went back to work.

…

**After Notes**

Yay! This chapter really sucked. I can't believe I wrote this. But at least I know I have Izaya in good character! ...I hope.

Love it? Hate it? Wanna read it again? Let me know! The review button is right there!


	3. Chapter 3: Air Trek Warnings

**City Railings**

**By: AtomicKokoro**

**Storyline**

When Mikado is inspired by the A.T team Kogarasumaru, he starts his own A.T team. The special training from the members of Kogarasumaru, they try to make their way to the top of Trophaeum Tower.

…

**Before You Read**

Yay! I have no idea where I'm going with this fic.

On with the story!

…

**Chapter 3**

**Air Trek Warning**

It had been three days since Mikado had seen those five-...six blurs. The police were whirring after the black rider, Shizuo Heiwajima, and any gangs still running around, along with the odd burglar or attacker. Things had returned to normal, for the most part.

Except for one odd, little package that arrived on Mikado's front step on the third day.

Of course, he had been expecting that package. He had even payed for it and everything. Now, came the time to open it and play with what was inside.

He held the cardboard box in his arms, on his bed. The pepper stared at the box for a long time. Three times he attempted to open it, and three times he put his hands against his thighs. Mikado sighed and picked up the box, shook it, and put it back on his lap.

_When I open this box,_ he thought to himself. _I'll start something totally new._

He adjusted himself on the bed and put his hand on the box. With an exacto-knife he bought at the local discount shop, he tore open the tape and slowly, so slowly, opened the lid. Inside were Roller Blades. Not just any roller blades. They were Air Treks.

"Wow," Mikado awed. "Amazing..."

Carefully, he slipped them on. They were the right fit (thankfully) and they were comfortable. He tied them tight and stood. By accident, the Air Treks moved and Mikado's knees knocked against the couch and he flipped over.

"Ow," he muttered, then fixed himself upright. Using the chair as a guide, he pushed himself back to his bed and pulled out the instructions for the . "U-Um..." He read them quietly in his head, then set them back in the box. "S-So, I just..."

And he slowly accelerated forward. Mikado chuckled and smiled a bit. Within minutes, he was making circles around his sofa. "This isn't so bad," Mikado said to himself. After a while, he could circle with his hands behind his back. It almost felt natural. "I just need to take it slow."

He smiled to himself.

…

For a little while, it was just Mikado's secret. He didn't tell anyone he was learning how to ride Air Treks. He wasn't sure how much trouble it would stir, especially since seems to attract a lot of attention. He would tell it when the time was right.

Now, Masaomi wouldn't approve and Anri would probably be worried. He didn't care what anyone else thought, but he was sure to keep quiet about it.

Of course, when the little pepper started out, he wasn't expecting to get together any Storm Rider team. In fact, he knew nothing about the _true_ world of .

…

"_Damn_!"

The curse echoed through the halls as the blond kicked off his Treks, banging against the wall with a loud thud. The small, blue-haired male from earlier, however his patch was on the right eye instead of the left, peeked out from the first door on the left, a toothbrush held between his teeth. "Y'u o'ay, Kasu?" he asked through the paste and brush.

"Kasu" (who's name was actually Kazu) sighed. "Yeah," he replied, lifting the bag of milk. "Got chased by the cops again back from the store." He wandered into the living room where his other comrades were watching TV then made his way into the kitchen behind them. "You know, I was thinking it's time for a change of title?"

The raven-haired male, who was sitting in a chair on his own, smirked back at the blond. "Nope."

"C'mon!" Kazu groaned, not bothering to put the milk in the fridge. "I mean, why don't we send Akito in his shoes, or- or Emily! She looks normal."

The female from earlier blinked, as though unsure to take that as a compliment or an insult before she shook her head. "Nope," she said. "I'm not doing it."

"C'mon, Errand Boy number five," the smallest (not said Akito, who was in the bathroom, brushing his teeth with a cheery tune) joked, poking a finger in the blond's direction. "You could use the training."

"Shut up!" Kazu snapped. "You, of all of us, Onigiri, need the exorcise!"

Ongiri frowned at the comment. "Excuse me, but I think Buccha here needs the loss."

"Hey!" the biggest guy in the room snapped. He pointed to his belly and frowned. "This is all blood, you know."

"I still think that's sort of weird," Emily whispered quietly.

Kazu rolled his eyes, sitting down in a chair beside the raven leader. "Point _is_, guys, I don't want to do anymore errand running."

"Too bad," the raven sighed. "You're errand boy number five. That's your job."

"_Ikki_!"

"What?"

"Hey, guys!" Akito chirped as he walked out of the bathroom, beaming with his newly cleaned teeth. "Agito says if you don't shut up, then he'll kick your butts."

Kazu sighed and folded his arms, nodding his head down to hide behind his hat. "Fine. Whatever."

"Okay~" With that, Akito sat down on Ikki's lap and nuzzled against him, much to Ikki's discomfort.

"Seriously, Akito," Ikki groaned. "Stop that. Go sit with...Emily, or...something."

Akito pouted but didn't object. Instead, though, he sat on the floor, legs crossed, zoned into the TV set with full focus. The rest of the team had zoned out for a moment, almost unconscious into the TV (Buccha into his food) when a program came up.

"_Breaking News_," said the title along the bottom.

A news castor was on the screen, holding papers and setting them down on her desk as she spoke. "Ikebukuro is a town of abnormalities and distraction, but recently, citizens have added another element to our list of surprises. Motorized roller blades known as Air Treks, or , have suddenly entered Ikebukuro's line of sight when five-, no, six teenagers tore through city streets at racing speeds."

On the screen, the teenagers could see themselves, riding as fast blurs, almost invisible to the camera lens. The shot switched to Kazu and Agito in the air, both wheels glowing. A flash of light, a bang, and the riders were gone. Each member of the team in the room, tossed each other a high five for ending up on the news and losing the cops.

"This team," the news castor continued. "known as Kogarasumaru, is considered top rank in all of Tokyo. Authorities are warning citizens if they see _any_ of these teenagers, officials are to be called onto the scene immediately."

"We're famous!" Ikki cheered, pumping his fist into the air.

"No," Kazu corrected. "We're infamous."

"Even better!"

Akito, probably having no idea of what the word meant, cheered along with Ikki while Onigiri just went along with the excitement. Buccha turned to Kazu, not caught up in much excitement. "You be careful running errands," he warned.

"Yeah," Ikki added. "and don't lead them back here."

Kazu rolled his eyes. "See? This is why Agito should run the errands."

Akito grabbed a hold of his eye patch and switched it over, then glared at the blond. "Not in your fucking life," Agito growled, then allowed Akito to take back over again.

Kazu dropped his chin to his chest in defeat. There was a second of silence before Akito let out a weak, "Woo hoo?"

Emily chuckled.

…

**After Notes**

So, now, we have introduced...Kogarasumaru! Don't worry. More characters will appear as the fic goes on. I just need to get pass the intro. Always the intro! Why?

Love it? Hate it? Wanna read it again? Let me know! Review button is right there!


	4. Chapter 4: Choice x Fate x Signs

**City Railings**

**By: AtomicKokoro**

**Storyline**

When Mikado is inspired by the A.T team Kogarasumaru, he starts his own A.T team. The special training from the members of Kogarasumaru, they try to make their way to the top of Trophaeum Tower.

…

**Before You Read**

Apparently, fanfiction dot net doesn't like links, or the word . … Er, A . Ts. Um...Yeah. So, bare with me.

Also, aglets are the little plastic things on the end of shoelaces. I looked it up on Google. Go me! (heart)

On with the story!

…

**Chapter 4**

**Choice x Fate x Signs**

Mikado believed he made a choice.

He had found his Air Treks on a site and quickly bought them. They had even been the perfect size. Even a cheap price.

He first learned to ride them inside his home. He took it slow, simply riding around his apartment, learning how to move and turn. He looked them up at the internet and gaped at what one could do with them. He read about Kogarasumaru and Sleeping Forest.

He read and watched all that he could, learning about Air Treks, and teams, and about the Trophaeum Tower. He read rumors on the Dollars site, and heard stories about Kogarasumaru's stay in Ikebukuro.

_Forum Topic: Kogarasumaru in Ikebukuro!?_

_Posted By: DaiyamondoGirl6_

_Posted: March 7__th__, 2010, 3:12 PM_

_I've heard on the news Kogarasumaru is in Ikebukuro! I've never heard of any A.T Teams here, in Toshima, so why did they come here? Do you think they came to claim Ikebukuro as territory? Do you think they are looking for a challenge? Why do you think they are here?_

_**Discussion Post**_

_Kogane, 4:23 PM: Maybe they are here for some alternate reason._

_DaiyamondoGirl6, 4:23 PM: What else could they come here for?_

_ayame43, 4:23 PM: thy cud b her 4 fndng new mmbrs._

_DaiyamondoGirl6, 4:24 PM: Ohhh... Expanding their team? I thought they were supposed to merge with Genesis or something like that._

_Kogane, 3:26 PM: No. They ended up turning down the offer for some reason. Maybe they want to start a war here, in Ikebukuro. Maybe they want to use this as a home site, or something, and find as many members as they can in Toshima._

_MONTA, 3:26 PM: Not another gang war._

_Kogane, 3:26 PM: I'll bet a boat that it probably will be._

_MONTA, 3:27 PM: I think it's pointless._

_DaiyamondoGirl6, 3:28 PM: Let's just hope for the best._

…

As fate would have it, the latter would turn up.

But that wasn't the intentional purpose.

"As of today," Ikki said slowly as he and the rest of Kogarasumaru stood over Ikebukuro. The four other members stood in a line, tall and straight as their gaze peered over the city: Kazu, Emily, Onigiri, Buccha, and Akito. They were serious. They appeared ready. The night was cloudy and moist with coming rain. "I declare this part of Ikebukuro..." He paused for dramatic effect, before he gave a silly grin. "_...ours_!"

He slapped the Kogarasumaru emblem against the stone pillar and the team cheered. "This entire area is ours!" Onigiri laughed. "And we didn't have to do a thing!"

"Coming to Ikebukuro was brilliant," Kazu snickered.

The only one who didn't appear excited was Buccha. "You know, there will be A.T Teams coming up to claim this territory now that it's ours."

Ikki rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Oh, really? And who's going to know?"

"You were on the news." The voice was soft and silky, but dangerous. The team turned to it's direction to see a man in a false fur coat, balancing on the edge of the building like it was a simple child's game. "_Someone_ is going to form a team."

"Oh, really?" Ikki challenged. "We're practically an A-Class team. No beginner can beat us _that_ easily."

The male smirked and opened his arms, half-spinning and turning. Buccha looked carefully, watching the way he moved. "Don't underestimate the people of this town," the man warned. "With the right information, anyone can be beaten by anyone."

There was an uneasy silence. Then Ikki smirked. "And don't underestimate _us_," he replied, a cocky edge on his voice. "We're Kogarasumaru."

The man blinked as the team jumped into action, positioning themselves into some sort of strange team pose. "Kill 'em dead!" they yelled all together.

The man stared at them for a long time before bursting into laughter, somehow keeping himself from falling over the edge. "What is _that_?" he hollered. "I-I can't...!"

Ikki pouted and the team dropped out of position. "Hey, man! If you wanna challenge us to a Parts War, be my guest. But if you have nothing else to say, then you can leave."

After a moment, the laugh subsided and the male smirked, waving a dismissive hand. "I just came to warn you," he replied with a sigh. "that you _will_ be challenged. Whether you win or lose is all up to..._whatever_ it is that you believe in."

"God?" Kazu suggested, but the man disregarded it.

"Good luck," the man smirked before turning and walking down the edge of the building, humming a cheerful tune to himself before jumping off the edge onto the next building then leaving out the roof door.

The team simply watched him leave then exchanged unsure glances. "Maybe the guy is delusional," Ikki suggested, then he laughed. "He's jealous! That's it! He _wishes_ he could ride Air Treks!"

"I don't know," Buccha muttered.

Akito blinked, then switched the eye patch over to the other eye. There was a bit of a pause, before the cat-like eye opened and a frown forced it's way on. "That bastard looked agile."

"Should we be careful?" Emily questioned, turning to Ikki, who looked more serious now that Agito and Buccha brought up the man's agility.

He scratched the back of his head and said nothing. "Let's just head back to the apartment before someone calls the cops on us."

The team nodded and skated off, jumping from building to building until they were back at the apartment.

…

Masaomi was sure it was fate.

He had been walking in the rain, only an hour or so after Kogarasumaru was warned by the strange, fur coated man, when he heard something down an alley. His hood was up and he had a bag of groceries in his hand. In it was a package of hot dogs, some lettuce, and mustard. He wasn't expecting it to rain when he left, so he didn't have anything to cover himself from the rain. Not that he minded the rain, but he didn't want to catch a cold, either.

He peered down the alley way and squinted, trying to see through the rain. At first, Masaomi was about to simply keep walking when he heard it again. Curious, he walked down the alleyway.

After a few steps, he noticed a shadow on the ground. He leaned a little forward and there was a low growling. Masaomi blinked and a bit of color came through. At first sight, he mistook the shadow for a wolf and almost ran. He only jumped until he noticed it wasn't a wolf, but some crossbreed dog that looked like one.

Feeling slightly foolish, he kneeled down onto one knee and looked the dog over. A bit of blood was pooling underneath it. The dog had probably gotten into some fight and lost. He felt a little sorry for the animal. He knew what it was like, fighting and losing.

The dog groaned. It's breathing was heavy and loose. It was tough seeing an animal in so much pain. Masaomi reached forward and thought about petting it, then stopped. He just remained, frozen, hand over the canine, not touching the fur.

Again, the dog made a noise but this was more of a whimper. Masaomi tried once more to pet it, but froze again. Why couldn't he bring himself to stroke it's fur? Even just once?

He couldn't tell if he was crying or if the rain was acting as tears for him.

The dog huffed and whined. With every breath came a noise. A howl? A cry? After a few moments of sound, the canine suddenly quieted. There was no movement. It wasn't breathing. It wasn't moving. It was only the sound of the rain.

Then came noise again. Masaomi looked up and tried to find where the sound was coming from. His golden gaze had almost scanned the entire alley before he spotted a box. He got to his feet and made his way over. He opened the box.

There was shock, then a melancholic shiver. Inside the box, three young puppies yipped up at the visitor excitedly and wagged their tails. Masaomi couldn't tell what it was that surprised him most inside the box.

The puppies, or the Air Treks.

…

Anri thought she was following the signs.

The following signs included seeing that Kogarasumaru had claimed Ikebukuro part of their turf, seeing Mikado _and_ Masaomi show up in Air Treks for the first time _on the same day_, and finding someone who had gotten a brand new pair of Air Treks and were giving his old ones away.

Anri blinked at the old Air Treks the boy was offering her. "Free?" she repeated. The Air Treks were in good condition, even if the material was a little frayed and the laces had lost their aglets. "Why are you giving these away? Wouldn't you keep them for spare parts, or even sell them? Aren't they expensive?"

"Yeah," the boy sighed but kept the smile. "but I thought I could help somebody reach the sky."

Anri looked up at the boy and blinked uncertainly. "Reach the...sky?"

The boy nodded. "These things change lives, you know."

They were standing together behind a pillar in a subway terminal. She had been going to meet a friend when she was pulled to the side by a random boy. He had asked her if she wanted to fly. She replied cautiously with a yes and he pulled out Air Treks in a bag, much like the ones Mikado and Masaomi had worn to school that day. He said they were free, and now she was getting her own pair.

"Change lives?" she echoed, again. This boy was saying a lot of strange things. "Why would you give them to _me_?"

For a moment, she was expecting him to mention her rather large chest size but he instead pointed out her shoes. "You have small feet," he said. "like me. You were the first person with the same shoe size as me, so I thought I could give them to you."

Anri smiled, glad he hadn't pointed anything out aside from that. Sometimes, it payed to be small. "Thank you," she said after a moment. "This is terrific."

The boy smiled and blushed a bit. "I-It was nothing. Really."

"_Anri_!"

Anri turned at the sound of her name being called and she waved over to her friend. She turned back to the boy and gave a quick bow. "Again, thank you," she said quickly. "Goodbye."

The boy stammered a farewell. As she was leaving, he yelled, "I'll see you in the sky!"

She didn't understand what he meant by that, but she was happy to have her Air Treks. Now, she could ride with Mikado and Masaomi, and she wouldn't be left behind.

…

**After Notes**

Yay for chapter four! Next chapter, the fun begins! Ish.

Love it? Hate it? Wanna read it again? Let me know! The review button is right there!


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